New cannabis laws address criminal justice, licensed events

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Hundreds attended the 2017 Cannifest at the Redwood Acres Fairgrounds in Eureka. A new state law will allow venues other than fairgrounds to obtain temporary cannabis event licenses. (Times-Standard file)

New Year’s Day is more like Christmas for cannabis in California, as new state laws went into effect Tuesday that may generate more social awareness around the plant and the growing industry surrounding it.

Here are three of the new laws:

Assembly Bill 1793 — Prior convictions

The state Department of Justice is required to review, and potentially dismiss or seal, criminal convictions and sentences for cannabis-related offenses that were decriminalized with the 2016 passage of state Proposition 64.

The DOJ has until July 1, 2019, to note past convictions that could be eligible for recall.

Prosecutors would have until July 1, 2020, to challenge specific resentencings or dismissals, but if they don’t, the courts can automatically reduce or dismiss sentences for past convictions.

The law is a major boon for people who never should have been criminals in the first place, said Robert Sutherland of the Humboldt-Mendocino Marijuana Advocacy Project.

“There are a lot of various opportunities, privileges and requirements in our culture that revolve around whether you’ve had past convictions,” Sutherland said. “To say someone should not have access to those because of a pot conviction is kind of absurd.”

Outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill in the fall.

Nearly 500,000 Californians were arrested for marijuana-related crimes during the 2000s, according to a 2016 study by the Drug Policy Alliance.

AB 2020 — Temporary cannabis events

The new law allows the state to grant licenses for events where cannabis is sold. Cannabis-themed events have taken off in popularity since 2016.

Currently, licensed cannabis events are only allowed on county fairgrounds. In Humboldt County, events like Cannifest have taken place on the Redwood Acres Fairgrounds in Eureka, but on the county fairgrounds in Ferndale, licensed cannabis events are still met with pushback from locals and the county fair association.

Terra Carver, executive director of the Humboldt County Growers Alliance, said cannabis events are an “integral” part of the industry’s heritage, citing events like the Emerald Cup in Sonoma County as a major boost to social awareness of cannabis.

“Events have the potential to drive economic development,” Carver said. “If we are able to successfully have events, then people from other areas will eat in our restaurants, stay in our hotels and really enjoy the benefits of Humboldt County.”

Carver said several local organizations and venues have already expressed interest in holding cannabis events.

AB 2215 — Veterinary cannabis discussion

Medicinal CBD products for animals are already sold in stores, but the passage of AB 2215 means veterinarians will be able to discuss with clients the potential benefits of CBD for their pets.

Vets can’t actually prescribe CBD, but they can acknowledge its medicinal benefits, which can range from joint pain relief to general therapeutic rest.

“A friend’s dog was really nervous, but after eating dog biscuits with CBD in them, the dog really calmed down,” said Ken Hamik of the Hummingwood Healing Center, a medicinal marijuana dispensary.

Hamik, who plans to open another dispensary soon in McKinleyville, said both CBD and hemp products have healing effects on animals. Tincture oil can be mixed into lotions and applied to horses, he added.

“The research is already underway to establish whether CBD has healing properties for animals,” Hamik said.